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Joseph Perry

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Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Blind Cop 2” and “Keratyna”

Blind Cop 2 (2024) A sequel to a film that doesn’t exist, director Alec Bonk’s Blind Cop 2 follows the tropes of movies depicting good cops kicked off the force for using excessive violence and seeking redemption without having a badge — and then there’s the trusty new sidekick, too. Imagine Marvel’s Daredevil as an alcoholic police officer wearing a bulletproof vest rather than a superhero costume and you’re only partially on your way to getting an inkling about how this irreverent title character (played with verve by George Fearing) goes about his business. You can’t forget Blind Cop’s name, either, as just about every person who addresses him calls him that. Using those aforementioned tropes, Bonk, who cowrote the screenplay with Augustin Huffman and Isaac McKinnon, directs with flare, deftly balancing the humor with plenty of dramatic elements and bloody action. Fearing is fantastic in the title role, and McKinnon makes for a fine sidekick-in-training as Schmidty. The humor

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 15, 2024

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Cereal,” “The Curse of the Velvet Vampire,” “We Joined a Cult,” “Up on the Housetop,” “Strange Creatures,” “Howl at the Dead” 

Following is a roundup of six of the short-film shockers that screened at this year’s edition of New Orlean’s Overlook Film Festival. Cereal Canadian short Cereal, from director Shane R. Preston, finds young girl Chelsea (Trinity Kaylani Seiling in a fun performance) receiving a disturbing message from her alphabet-shaped cereal: “Kill.” This evil kid short has a nice retro vibe and looks great, with a fine supporting performance from Shelby Handley as Chelsea’s mother. My only quibble is that the fourth wall gets broken twice, which reduces the effect for me. The Curse of the Velvet Vampire Director Christoffer Schurict’s collaboration with band 802 finds two Chinese horror fans watching a strange film in a video rental store. Soon enough, this slice of cinema intersects with real life. Featuring plenty of female undead and the resulting bloodletting, along with some music video, this short film has cult favorite written all over it. We Joined a Cult From Chris McInroy, director

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 12, 2024

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Review: “Ghost Game” (2024)

Director Jill Gevargizian’s sophomore feature Ghost Game is an effective offering that uses home invasion in a unique way and serves up some intriguing surprises. Vinny (Zaen Haidar) discovers some disturbing footage on his girlfriend Laura’s (Kia Dorsey) laptop — without her permission — in which she and a man named Adrian (Sam Likowski) botch a home invasion and injure a woman. Laura explains that it is a sort of filmed challenge called Ghost Game, in which the participants live in houses without being detected by homeowners — phrogging, as it is called — and prank them, leading the residents to believe that the supernatural is involved. And it just might be, as Vinny insists that Laura get rid of Adrian and take him with her instead to her next assignment: a long-abandoned, reputedly haunted house in which a family has just moved in. The stage for real ghostly occurrences is soon set, as young daughter Samantha (Vienna Maas), who

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 12, 2024

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “The Ceremony Is About to Begin” and “The Hyperborean”

The Ceremony Is About to Begin (2024) Director Sean Nichols Lynch follows up his vampire comedy Red Snow (2021) with faux documentary horror The Ceremony Is About to Begin, which he cowrote with stars Chad Westbrook Hinds and John Laird. The film starts with black-and-white interview footage with former members of the Osiris Collective, a commune/cult based on ancient Egyptian culture, including each member taking on a name from that culture. The leader was a man named Father Osiris (Raul Delarosa), who disappeared mysteriously during a mountain hike with a new member who took the name Anubis (Hinds). Documentarian Keith Evans (Laird) has a very personal reason for wanting to interview the members of the Osiris Collective, as his ex-girlfriend Maddy (Michelle Westbrook Hinds) left him for the cult. Anubis, who took over leadership of the group and whose negative behaviors drove members away, invites Evans to the Collective grounds to conduct interviews. With the film having earlier changed to

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 11, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Red Rooms” and “Dead Mail” (Overlook Film Festival)

Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges; Canada, 2023) Pascal Plante’s French-language Canadian chiller Red Rooms deftly combines character study, psychological thriller, and courtroom drama. The film follows the obsession of two women with a serial killer suspect on trial for the gruesome murders of three teenage girls, which were broadcast for pay on the titular dark web outlet. Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy in a riveting performance) is a fashion model who sits in on the trial of accused murderer Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) at the Superior Court of Quebec. Sitting near her is Clementine (Laurie Babin), a young woman also obsessed with Chevalier, believing that he is innocent and being framed. The pair are accused of being groupies by the mother of a victim. Kelly-Anne is aloof and quiet, and she lets the talkative out-of-towner Clementine stay with her in her high-rise apartment. Kelly-Anne is also something of an expert on the internet, making large sums of money playing online poker and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 9, 2024

Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Homebody,” “Extreme Gravity,” “Kelly,” “Beholder,” “Red Leather, Yellow Leather,” “Turtle?”, “What I Remember” (Unnamed Footage Festival)

Following is a roundup of seven of the short films that screened at San Francisco’s Unnamed Footage Festival 2024, shot mostly in found footage or verité styles. Homebody Home surveillance cameras provide the footage for writer/director Andrew J. Paulsen’s Homebody, in which Hannah (McKenzie Jo Frazer) lives in fear of a hooded man who stands outside her house. The proceedings are a bit predictable, but the execution of the plot is well done. Extreme Gravity (Extrema gravedad) Writer/director Lorenzo Ayuso’s darkly comic Spanish short Extreme Gravity focuses on a suicidal man whose recording of his farewell video is interrupted by a naked stranger who appears on his windowsill. Irreverent humor is the order of the day with this one, with Álvaro Márquez giving a fine performance as the suicidal individual and David Blanka providing fine voice acting support. Kelly Brazilian short Kelly finds a man (writer/director Luiz Lapin) building a new plastic-bag–headed companion. This short shocker is a true creepfest,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 3, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “The Becomers” and “Omen” (Boston Underground Film Festival 2024)

The Becomers (2024) Writer/director Zach Clark’s science-fiction comedy The Becomers is one of the more unique offerings in the subgenre of alien-body-snatchers cinema. It follows the travails of two genderless extraterrestrial lovers who have left their home planet for hopefully better lives on Earth. They must inhabit human bodies, with plenty of reasons to change them, as they try to grasp the language, mannerisms, and mindsets of Americans. The film touches on a variety of current social issues in the post-pandemic United States while avoiding becoming overly didactic, and the cast members — led by Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, and Keith Kelly — give earnest performances that give the proceedings a grounded yet humorous feel. Bonus points from me for the fact that the film is narrated by Russell Mael, vocalist for one of my all-time favorite rock bands, Sparks. Omen (Augure; Belgium/The Democratic Republic of Congo/Netherlands/Germany/France/South Africa, 2023) Omen deals in magical realism and African mysticism, with horror-adjacent elements

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 3, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” and “Property” (Make Believe 2024)

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant; Canada, 2023) What an absolute blast Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is! Director Ariane Louis-Seize’s French language coming-of-age vampire dramedy is a true charmer. Sasha (Sara Montpetit) is a reluctant teen vampire who suffers from adverse reactions when she witnesses humans being physically harmed. Her family members do their best to wean her off of blood bags and start her biting people. Matters become even more complicated when she meets bullied teen Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard) at an anonymous meeting for depressed and suicidal individuals. Paul is looking for a meaningful way to end his life, and sees that in Sasha’s becoming a true, people-biting vampire. Louis-Seize, who cowrote the screenplay with Christine Doyon, has crafted a touching, whimsical feature that examines the potential humanity in an undead being, gently and thoughtfully focusing on two characters trying to find their way in this world — and in Paul’s case,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Mar 29, 2024

Calgary Underground Film Festival Unveils Its Terrific 2024 Lineup

Horror buffs and genre-film fans of all stripes: The Calgary Underground Film Festival has just released its lineup for its 2024 edition! There’s fright fare galore, from slashers (In a Violent Place; The Last Video Store) to monster movies (Kryptic; Infested) to supernatural chillers (Oddity; The Vourdalak), and beyond. Following is the official press announcement. The Calgary Underground Film Festival has announced the full lineup of films playing the 21st Festival, from April 18-28, 2024 at Globe Cinema. On-scale with the expanded programming of last year’s 20th Anniversary Festival, the largest in the organization’s history, CUFF 2024 will show 41 feature films, 37 shorts, and host 8 special events over 11 days. From horror and sci-fi to indie comedies and music docs, the festival showcases diverse programming of films that defy convention. CUFF is Western Canada’s largest genre film festival, internationally recognized as a top horror film festival on the circuit, and one of the most anticipated events for local

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Mar 29, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Review: “Infested” (Boston Underground Film Festival 2024)

Arachnophobes, unless you are approved for serious exposure therapy from your medical or psychological professional, you will almost surely want to avoid director Sébastien Vanicek’s Infested (Vermines; France/U.S., 2023). But for everyone who loves a good — and in this case I mean really good — spider attack horror movie, you will absolutely want to see the film. Kaleb (Théo Christine), a twentysomething man trying to carve out a life for himself in a world that frustrates that goal at many a turn, lives with his sister (Lisa Nyarko) in an apartment that has seen better days and requires constant upkeep, which they inherited from from their late mother. The siblings have a strained relationship, and Kaleb also keeps other people at a distance, preferring to spend time with the exotic reptiles and bugs that he collects, though he considers the other building tenants to be more like family than merely neighbors. After Kaleb purchases a spider — the likes

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Mar 27, 2024

More from Joseph Perry

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Blind Cop 2” and “Keratyna”

Blind Cop 2 (2024) A sequel to a film that doesn’t exist, director Alec Bonk’s Blind Cop 2 follows the tropes of movies depicting good cops kicked off the force for using excessive violence and seeking redemption without having a badge — and then there’s the trusty new sidekick, too. Imagine Marvel’s Daredevil as an alcoholic police officer wearing a bulletproof vest rather than a superhero costume and you’re only partially on your way to getting an inkling about how this irreverent title character (played with verve by George Fearing) goes about his business. You can’t forget Blind Cop’s name, either, as just about every person who addresses him calls him that. Using those aforementioned tropes, Bonk, who cowrote the screenplay with Augustin Huffman and Isaac McKinnon, directs with flare, deftly balancing the humor with plenty of dramatic elements and bloody action. Fearing is fantastic in the title role, and McKinnon makes for a fine sidekick-in-training as Schmidty. The humor

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 15, 2024

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Cereal,” “The Curse of the Velvet Vampire,” “We Joined a Cult,” “Up on the Housetop,” “Strange Creatures,” “Howl at the Dead” 

Following is a roundup of six of the short-film shockers that screened at this year’s edition of New Orlean’s Overlook Film Festival. Cereal Canadian short Cereal, from director Shane R. Preston, finds young girl Chelsea (Trinity Kaylani Seiling in a fun performance) receiving a disturbing message from her alphabet-shaped cereal: “Kill.” This evil kid short has a nice retro vibe and looks great, with a fine supporting performance from Shelby Handley as Chelsea’s mother. My only quibble is that the fourth wall gets broken twice, which reduces the effect for me. The Curse of the Velvet Vampire Director Christoffer Schurict’s collaboration with band 802 finds two Chinese horror fans watching a strange film in a video rental store. Soon enough, this slice of cinema intersects with real life. Featuring plenty of female undead and the resulting bloodletting, along with some music video, this short film has cult favorite written all over it. We Joined a Cult From Chris McInroy, director

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 12, 2024

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Review: “Ghost Game” (2024)

Director Jill Gevargizian’s sophomore feature Ghost Game is an effective offering that uses home invasion in a unique way and serves up some intriguing surprises. Vinny (Zaen Haidar) discovers some disturbing footage on his girlfriend Laura’s (Kia Dorsey) laptop — without her permission — in which she and a man named Adrian (Sam Likowski) botch a home invasion and injure a woman. Laura explains that it is a sort of filmed challenge called Ghost Game, in which the participants live in houses without being detected by homeowners — phrogging, as it is called — and prank them, leading the residents to believe that the supernatural is involved. And it just might be, as Vinny insists that Laura get rid of Adrian and take him with her instead to her next assignment: a long-abandoned, reputedly haunted house in which a family has just moved in. The stage for real ghostly occurrences is soon set, as young daughter Samantha (Vienna Maas), who

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 12, 2024

Panic Fest 2024 Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “The Ceremony Is About to Begin” and “The Hyperborean”

The Ceremony Is About to Begin (2024) Director Sean Nichols Lynch follows up his vampire comedy Red Snow (2021) with faux documentary horror The Ceremony Is About to Begin, which he cowrote with stars Chad Westbrook Hinds and John Laird. The film starts with black-and-white interview footage with former members of the Osiris Collective, a commune/cult based on ancient Egyptian culture, including each member taking on a name from that culture. The leader was a man named Father Osiris (Raul Delarosa), who disappeared mysteriously during a mountain hike with a new member who took the name Anubis (Hinds). Documentarian Keith Evans (Laird) has a very personal reason for wanting to interview the members of the Osiris Collective, as his ex-girlfriend Maddy (Michelle Westbrook Hinds) left him for the cult. Anubis, who took over leadership of the group and whose negative behaviors drove members away, invites Evans to the Collective grounds to conduct interviews. With the film having earlier changed to

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 11, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Red Rooms” and “Dead Mail” (Overlook Film Festival)

Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges; Canada, 2023) Pascal Plante’s French-language Canadian chiller Red Rooms deftly combines character study, psychological thriller, and courtroom drama. The film follows the obsession of two women with a serial killer suspect on trial for the gruesome murders of three teenage girls, which were broadcast for pay on the titular dark web outlet. Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy in a riveting performance) is a fashion model who sits in on the trial of accused murderer Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) at the Superior Court of Quebec. Sitting near her is Clementine (Laurie Babin), a young woman also obsessed with Chevalier, believing that he is innocent and being framed. The pair are accused of being groupies by the mother of a victim. Kelly-Anne is aloof and quiet, and she lets the talkative out-of-towner Clementine stay with her in her high-rise apartment. Kelly-Anne is also something of an expert on the internet, making large sums of money playing online poker and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 9, 2024

Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Homebody,” “Extreme Gravity,” “Kelly,” “Beholder,” “Red Leather, Yellow Leather,” “Turtle?”, “What I Remember” (Unnamed Footage Festival)

Following is a roundup of seven of the short films that screened at San Francisco’s Unnamed Footage Festival 2024, shot mostly in found footage or verité styles. Homebody Home surveillance cameras provide the footage for writer/director Andrew J. Paulsen’s Homebody, in which Hannah (McKenzie Jo Frazer) lives in fear of a hooded man who stands outside her house. The proceedings are a bit predictable, but the execution of the plot is well done. Extreme Gravity (Extrema gravedad) Writer/director Lorenzo Ayuso’s darkly comic Spanish short Extreme Gravity focuses on a suicidal man whose recording of his farewell video is interrupted by a naked stranger who appears on his windowsill. Irreverent humor is the order of the day with this one, with Álvaro Márquez giving a fine performance as the suicidal individual and David Blanka providing fine voice acting support. Kelly Brazilian short Kelly finds a man (writer/director Luiz Lapin) building a new plastic-bag–headed companion. This short shocker is a true creepfest,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 3, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “The Becomers” and “Omen” (Boston Underground Film Festival 2024)

The Becomers (2024) Writer/director Zach Clark’s science-fiction comedy The Becomers is one of the more unique offerings in the subgenre of alien-body-snatchers cinema. It follows the travails of two genderless extraterrestrial lovers who have left their home planet for hopefully better lives on Earth. They must inhabit human bodies, with plenty of reasons to change them, as they try to grasp the language, mannerisms, and mindsets of Americans. The film touches on a variety of current social issues in the post-pandemic United States while avoiding becoming overly didactic, and the cast members — led by Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, and Keith Kelly — give earnest performances that give the proceedings a grounded yet humorous feel. Bonus points from me for the fact that the film is narrated by Russell Mael, vocalist for one of my all-time favorite rock bands, Sparks. Omen (Augure; Belgium/The Democratic Republic of Congo/Netherlands/Germany/France/South Africa, 2023) Omen deals in magical realism and African mysticism, with horror-adjacent elements

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 3, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” and “Property” (Make Believe 2024)

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant; Canada, 2023) What an absolute blast Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is! Director Ariane Louis-Seize’s French language coming-of-age vampire dramedy is a true charmer. Sasha (Sara Montpetit) is a reluctant teen vampire who suffers from adverse reactions when she witnesses humans being physically harmed. Her family members do their best to wean her off of blood bags and start her biting people. Matters become even more complicated when she meets bullied teen Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard) at an anonymous meeting for depressed and suicidal individuals. Paul is looking for a meaningful way to end his life, and sees that in Sasha’s becoming a true, people-biting vampire. Louis-Seize, who cowrote the screenplay with Christine Doyon, has crafted a touching, whimsical feature that examines the potential humanity in an undead being, gently and thoughtfully focusing on two characters trying to find their way in this world — and in Paul’s case,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Mar 29, 2024

Calgary Underground Film Festival Unveils Its Terrific 2024 Lineup

Horror buffs and genre-film fans of all stripes: The Calgary Underground Film Festival has just released its lineup for its 2024 edition! There’s fright fare galore, from slashers (In a Violent Place; The Last Video Store) to monster movies (Kryptic; Infested) to supernatural chillers (Oddity; The Vourdalak), and beyond. Following is the official press announcement. The Calgary Underground Film Festival has announced the full lineup of films playing the 21st Festival, from April 18-28, 2024 at Globe Cinema. On-scale with the expanded programming of last year’s 20th Anniversary Festival, the largest in the organization’s history, CUFF 2024 will show 41 feature films, 37 shorts, and host 8 special events over 11 days. From horror and sci-fi to indie comedies and music docs, the festival showcases diverse programming of films that defy convention. CUFF is Western Canada’s largest genre film festival, internationally recognized as a top horror film festival on the circuit, and one of the most anticipated events for local

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Mar 29, 2024

Spoiler-Free Film Review: “Infested” (Boston Underground Film Festival 2024)

Arachnophobes, unless you are approved for serious exposure therapy from your medical or psychological professional, you will almost surely want to avoid director Sébastien Vanicek’s Infested (Vermines; France/U.S., 2023). But for everyone who loves a good — and in this case I mean really good — spider attack horror movie, you will absolutely want to see the film. Kaleb (Théo Christine), a twentysomething man trying to carve out a life for himself in a world that frustrates that goal at many a turn, lives with his sister (Lisa Nyarko) in an apartment that has seen better days and requires constant upkeep, which they inherited from from their late mother. The siblings have a strained relationship, and Kaleb also keeps other people at a distance, preferring to spend time with the exotic reptiles and bugs that he collects, though he considers the other building tenants to be more like family than merely neighbors. After Kaleb purchases a spider — the likes

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Mar 27, 2024
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